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Sesame Peanut Chicken Katsu Ramen. My brother’s most requested winter soup! This ramen is so special. It’s made with bacon for a rich depth of flavor, two varieties of chili paste, broth, coconut milk, tamari/soy, and peanut butter. It’s creamy, spicy, and so warming. Each bowl is filled with noodles and crispy sesame Katsu chicken. Then topped with our favorite mix of ramen toppings: soft-boiled eggs, toasted nori, pickled sushi ginger, scallions, and more sesame seeds – which really aren’t necessary (but are so yum!). There’s nothing better than ramen on a cold wintery night.
I mentioned over the weekend that my younger brother, Red, was in town. It’s really rare these days that Red and I are ever home at the same time. Lately, I’ve been traveling while he’s in Colorado.
Usually, he’s in and out pretty quickly. But he got into town last week for the holiday break and has been home ever since, hitting the jumps at Copper. He’s one of my favorite people to get the opportunity to cook for. Mainly because I don’t get to cook for him often, but also because he’s just the happiest to be around. Red and my brother Kai have the ability to put a smile on my face every time they walk into the room. Something about their energy just makes you feel happy inside.
It’s really a magical quality!
With Red here, I knew I wanted to make some of his favorite foods. He loves anything with rice or over rice, sushi related, buffalo chicken, tacos…the list goes on.
The one dish Red and Kai ask for any time I’m cooking is my ramen. I make it differently most times. But a katsu ramen is one of their favorites. It’s a mix of Gochugang and Thai red curry paste, then a lot of noodles.
So of course, I had to make ramen to share. It’s the start of winter!
Here are the details
Ingredients
- bacon
- shallots
- Chinese 5 spice – optional
- chili paste – I also use Gochugang
- Thai red curry paste
- broth
- tamari or soy sauce
- canned coconut milk
- ginger – I love to use pickled sushi-style ginger
- ramen noodles – I love brown rice ramen noodles or Chinese-style noodles
- toasted sesame oil
- chicken cutlets
- panko breadcrumbs
- sesame seeds
- butter or olive oil
Ingredients – for topping
- soft or hard-boiled eggs
- toasted nori sheets, toasted sesame seeds, scallions, pickled ginger and jalapeños
Special Tools
Nothing! You will need a soup pot and a skillet.
Steps
Step 1: – cook the bacon
Start cooking the bacon in a big Dutch oven. Allow the fat to render, as this is where the flavor is.
Step 2: finish the soup base
Next, mix in the shallots, chili paste, and the Thai red curry paste. Allow this mix to cook a few minutes until you can really smell the chili paste.
Add the broth, a can of coconut milk, the tamari, peanut butter, and ginger. Simmer this over low heat.
Step 3: make the katsu
Dredge the chicken cutlets through the panko and sesame seeds. Now, get each cutlet crispy with some oil or butter.
Then season each with salt and thinly slice.
Step 4: the noodles
I love to cook them directly in the broth. It keeps the amount of dishes down.
Step 5: serve
Mix pickled ginger with jalapeños and sesame oil
Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the chicken and all the toppings you enjoy. For us, that includes soft-boiled eggs, many toasted sesame seeds, and scallions. Then pickled ginger and jalapeños.
Really do it up and make your bowls of homemade ramen special and so delicious!
Looking for more warming winter soups? Here are a few to try:
Healthier Italian Wedding Soup with Lemon and Garlic
Lemony Garlic Chicken and Orzo Soup
Creamy Gnocchi Soup with Rosemary Bacon
Lastly, if you make this Sesame Peanut Chicken Katsu Ramen, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Sesame Peanut Chicken Katsu Ramen
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 630 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 2 strips thick-cut bacon, chopped
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 2 teaspoons Chinese 5 spice (optional)
- 2-3 tablespoons chili paste (I use Gochujang)
- 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 8 cups broth
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon pickled sushi-style ginger, chopped
- 4 squares ramen noodles
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/3 cup pickled sushi-style ginger
- 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced
- soft or hard boiled eggs, for serving
- toasted nori sheets, sesame seeds, and scallions, for serving
Sesame Chicken Katsu
- 6 chicken cutlets or tenders
- 1 cup Panko
- 3 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
Instructions
- 1. In a large Dutch oven set over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the shallots, Chinese 5 spice, if using, chili paste, and Thai red curry paste. Cook for 2 minutes, until fragrant. Pour in the broth, coconut milk, and tamari. Whisk in the peanut butter. Add the ginger. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.2. Meanwhile, make the Katsu. Place the Panko and sesame seeds in a shallow bowl. Season with salt. Dredge both sides of the chicken through the Panko, pressing to adhere. Place the chicken on a plate.3. Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown, 3-4 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook until golden brown on the other side, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and season with salt. Slice into thin strips.4. To finish the soup, stir in the noodles and toasted sesame oil. Let sit for 5 minutes or until the noodles are soft.5. Mix the pickled ginger, 1 tablespoon ginger juice, and the jalapeños together.6. Divide the noodles between bowls and ladle the soup over. Add the chicken. Top as desired with eggs, green onions, sesame seeds, and chili oil. Serve immediately.
This post was originally published on January 7, 2025
This recipe is sooo good. It was on the spicier side for my husband but he still managed to polish off the left overs for several lunches. Will try second time with on less tablespoon of the red curry paste! The flavor is out of this world!
Hey Barbara,
Wonderful! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it was enjoyed!
Have a great weekend!
I’ve been making these recipes for years and this is my first review (sorry Tieghan!). I only had a 1 teaspoon of chili sauce as I had a group of kids eating. I didn’t have any Chinese five spice so after some googling, I substituted with 1 tsp garam masala and 1 tsp allspice. Even the pickiest of eaters finished their bowl. I’m still thinking about it the next day hence finally writing a review. Thank you for this lovely cozy meal of deliciousness!
Thanks so much, Abby! Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you, I appreciate you making it! Have a great Monday!
Everything came out great but my cutlets were so/so. The breading didn’t stick in some spots. Are we really supposed to just coat directly in panko without a flour/egg dredge? Love saying that step but is there a way to get it to stick better?
Thanks so much, Lauren! Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you, I appreciate you making it!
Sorry to hear about your chicken, I do not use an egg coating, but you could try that next time. Have a great Monday!
Please tell me what do you do with the ginger and jalapeño peppers?
Thank you
Hey Jeanne,
I use this as garnish for the ramen:) I hope you love this recipe!
This recipe was awesome. It was a little too spicy for my husband, however, he drank every last dropping out of his bowl! lol I am a little confused with one part of the instructions. Step 5 says to mix the pickled ginger, 1 tablespoon ginger juice, and the jalapeños together. What is this for? The ginger juice was not part of the ingredients so where does this come from?
Hey Barbara,
Happy Sunday! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it was enjoyed!
I just use step 5 as a garnish:)
Amazing as always. Spices were great. My son in law who ate nothing but pizza and nuggets when he married my daughter is so excited to eat dinner when I say it’s a hbh recipe.
Hey Cathy,
Fantastic! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your comment, love to hear it turned out well for you!
Have the best weekend!
A little bit of a mishmash of Asian flavors (Thai, Japanese, Korean, Chinese) but pretty tasty. I think I prefer some of the other ramen recipes on the site, but this was easy and flavorful. Thanks for the recipe 😉
Hi Holly,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and your feedback, love to hear it was enjoyed!
I was very excited to try this! But unfortunately got my hopes up…my family and I couldn’t even finish it. I think it was the peanut butter and toasted sesame oil that threw it off for us…so may have to try without. Chicken was good though!
Very sorry to hear this, Abby!
Hello ,
how much chicken for this recipe
much thanks
Hi Alicia,
This recipe calls for 6 chicken cutlets or tenders. Please let me know if you have any other questions:) xx
Hi. Once again I wasn`t disappointed. So flavourful and super tasty.
Made it 3 times already. 🙂
Hey David,
Love to hear this! Thanks for trying this ramen and sharing your feedback! Have a great day! x
Hiya!! I’m assuming you used a low sodium chicken broth, but just in case it’s not chicken broth. What broth did you use because it’s not mentioned anywhere.
Thanks in advance!
Jaime
Hi Jaime,
Yes, I like to use a chicken broth for this recipe:) Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Maybe it’s just me but this didn’t have much flavor to it, or maybe my expectations were just different. I’ll have to try it again and see if I made a mistake.
Hi Mike,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and your feedback, so sorry to hear you didn’t love it! xx
This is soooooooo gooooood! I’ve made it twice and the second time didn’t put in the Chinese 5 spice. You can taste every ingredient when you don’t put the 5 spice in so I would recommend not to. But good either way!!
Thank you so much, Sarah! So glad to hear this recipe was a winner, I appreciate you making it! xx
Was really craving ramen on a cold, snowy Colorado night and this did not disappoint. Super flavorful and not too salty.Will definitely be making again and have already thought about making it for my large extended family.
I would not skip the Chinese 5-spice. It gave the recipe a fantastic flavor profile!
Hey Shannon,
Wonderful! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
Excellent recipe! Very easy and flavorful ramen! Family adored it! Followed the directions to a T! Love the peanut butter addition! Will make this again! Thanks!
Hey Tara,
Thanks so much for making this recipe! Love to hear it turned out well for you:) Have the best week! xxT